Listening to the Shadows and Light live album again last night, I realised how easy it is to forget the sheer quality of musicianship on display in some of our favourite records. As an avid Joni Mitchell fan, I was equal parts excited and hesitant at the prospect going to see “Hejira” play the Saturday afternoon slot at the Buxton International Festival.
Established last year (it coincided with Mitchell’s 80th birthday), the 7-piece ensemble celebrates the music of Joni Mitchell, or more specifically, the music of Joni Mitchell from the late 70s. Does it makes sense to concentrate a specific era of an artist with such a lengthy and genre-spanning career? Any apprehensions I had were lifted the moment I heard the opening lines of “Coyote”.
Hattie Whitehead’s voice is strikingly like Joni’s – pitch-perfect and pure – though with her own unique vibrato that added a sense of the unfamiliar to tunes, many of which the audience and I knew very well. The band were incredibly strong musicians and there were real moments of flair. Chris Eldred struck me by surprise in the middle of “Blue Motel Room” with an unexpected piano solo, as moving and ethereal as the overlaid vocal section on the original record. Another surprise, the Pat Metheny tune “Phase Dance”, showcased Pete Oxley’s guitar playing very well and was an excellent choice of material to fit the band’s classic late 70’s jazz sound. With three chordal instruments on stage, it’s a testament to the arranging skills of Oxley that they were all able to create space for one another. I greatly admired Dave Jones (bass) and Ollie Weston (tenor sax, soprano sax, bass clarinet) for failing to fall into the trap of being imitations of Pastorius and Brecker, instead bringing different approaches to the music – I particularly liked the textural additions of the bass clarinet.
The occasional lack of balance in the sound from the stage was forgivable – moments where Hattie’s voice was nearly drowned out, particularly on tunes like “In France They Kiss On Main Street” and “Free Man In Paris”. To some extent this is inevitable, the exciting array of percussive instruments and technique on display from Mark Cecil and the vibrancy and joyous abandon of Rick Finlay showed undoubted musicianship and skill, but I was troubled by a wish that I could have heard more of the long arcs of the confessional lyrics that characterised this period of Joni’s music.
By far my favourite piece of the afternoon was Amelia. I’m biased – this is perhaps my all-time favourite song of Joni Mitchell’s, particularly the live version from Shadows and Light. But it was here I was struck by the real power of Hattie’s voice – I heard every word with a slightly different inflection, and new life in the lyrics.
Their tour continues with dates in London (the Forge, 3 Aug), Cambridge, Birmingham, Belfast and more. Go and see this music performed live – with all the musicality, intensity and passion it so richly deserves.
BAND: Mark Cecil (percussion), Rick Finlay (drums), Dave Jones (bass), Pete Oxley (guitar), Chris Eldred (keyboards), Ollie Weston (tenor sax, soprano sax, bass clarinet) and Hattie Whitehead (guitar and vocals)
Becky Alice was the guest of Buxton International Festival
